Before and After Slughorn's Party
by seghen
Summary: Ron and Cormac McLaggen exchange words after the mistletoe incident and Ron can no longer deny that what he is feeling towards Hermione is less than brotherly.


**im writing this oneshot thanx to a reviewer who suggested that i try a _real _ron/hermione fic and i decided 'why not?'. tell me what u think.**

Hermione was not the type that often needed to be rescued. She was an independent woman, well, by wizarding standards. If she still lived in the Muggle world she would be, unfortunately, trapped for one last year. She knew how to take care of herself, though she had a tendency to get into situations that were rather difficult to talk herself out of, but she usually found a way.

This was not one of those times.

Teachers she could handle. She knew exactly what to say at exactly the right time to quench any of their curiosities or questions. Silly, giggling girls were even easier to deal with, she showed them her serious side and allowed them to push themselves away. She was quite capable of stalling, though she rarely needed to. Harry and Ron were the procrastinators. But the one thing, the _single _thing that she was unable to perfect, to handle, was boys. Corman McLaggen at this particular moment in time.

She felt stupid, a rare feeling indeed for her but a real emotion all the same. _She _had been the one who had decided to travel down this particular hallway, _she _was the one who first passed through the mistletoe. But _he _had been the one to seize her by the shoulders and attempt to snog her senseless. For a rather large and slightly sluggish boy he had quick and nimble fingers. The first word that came to mind as he grabbed at her in the most unromantic way he could manage was _touchy._

She pushed away to no avail, eventually resorting to stomping on his foot with her pointed heel before trekking back to the party, towards Harry and the safety of a populated area. "Hermione!" He called after her, his voice thick with something that even someone as inexperienced as Hermione could identify as lust.

While this confused her she did nothing to clear her mind and did not even slow as she plowed through the halls. Cormac, though coordinated on a broomstick, was slightly duck footed and slow, so escaping him was no great feat. "Damn it!" He called out to no one in particular, frowning deeply.

"What's wrong?" A gruff voice questioned from behind him, his lack of caring evident. Cormac did not seem to pick up on that.

"Nothing, it's just _bloody women!_" He barked, turning around to see the lone figure of Ron Weasley, arms crossed to his chest, approaching him. "Oh, it's _you._" He sneered, still not forgiving him for beating him for the position of Gryffindor Keeper.

"Yeah, it's _me. _Nice to see you too." His humor was glazed over by something undeniably like icy indifference. "Where's your _date?_" The last word was said with such morbid contempt that not even the insipid Cormac could overlook it.

Still frustrated by Hermione's attempts to evade him he spoke once more. "She ditched me. Probably halfway to the states by now." He stated broodingly, staring at his second-rate loafers grumpily. It was quite fortunate that he was doing so for if he was not it was undeniable that he would have seen the glee and amusement cross Ron's face.

"Did she set canaries on you, too?" His tone was mocking, but Cormac answered all the same.

"Nah, just stomped on my foot and skirted off without a word. _Prude." _The grin instantly evaporated from Ron's face, in it's stead a look of total contempt. The near-Keeper did not notice.

Ron tried to scoff, but it came out far too forced. Cormac looked up at him oddly. "Oh, yeah. You went with her for a little while? No wonder you left her for Brown, she wouldn't know fun if it tap danced in dread locks in front of her." Though his words were appraising, there was something glinting oddly in his eye as he spoke.

Ron wasted no time in looking indignant. "We were never together, McLaggen. Get your facts straight." He near growled, observing the boy with utter and distinct distaste.

"Really? Then why did you get into that blazing row after you ditched her for that Quidditch groupie?" McLaggen, having spent some time in Muggle England, was well informed of groupies.

Ron's cheeks went the color of his flaming carrot hair, though not due to the slight of Lavender. "I did not _ditch _her. I'm going with Lavender now." He snapped, the urge to beat Cormac into a bloody pulp.

"All the same, it was a good move on your part to leave her dateless for the party. You wouldn't have had a good time." His innuendo was more pronounced than the words themselves.

"Well, I wouldn't have tried to accost her in the middle of a hallway, either. I guess that's the difference between you and me." He snarled, suddenly looking much more intimidating in his anger.

Cormac did not back down. "Hopefully not the only difference." He said coldly.

Ron gritted his teeth. "Yeah, that and the fact that I actually got onto the Quidditch team." It was evident that he had struck a nerve but they just stood in silence for an uncomfortable moment.

Grudgingly admitting defeat, Cormac turned around. "Better go find my _date, _she'll be lonely without me." He said, mildly sarcastic.

"Lay another hand on her and you'll regret it." He called after the retreating figure of Cormac.

"What are you going to do, kill me?" He snapped back, waving his hand mockingly before turning a corner.

To no one in particular, Ron said, "Maybe. I'm thinking about it."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Ron surprised Hermione by sitting in her chair when she returned from the party alone. _Good sign, _he could not help but thinking.

She prepared to stalk away when he called out to her. "How was the party?" He asked, not realizing how petty and sarcastic he sounded.

She turned around, bemused. "It was great." She lied with sudden dignity, turning back around and heading up towards her dormitories, not knowing that Ron's eyes were following her all the way up the stairs.

He sighed and glowered as he stared into the flickering firelight, unable to drive Hermione out of his mind. The _Lavender distraction _was not working any more. He had been angry that Hermione, the intelligent, public-affection-frowner had been snogged before he had, with _Viktor Krum! _His ex-hero.

All that he knew was that no matter what, it seemed, he would always be in..._like _with Hermione. He refused to acknowledge it as anything else...yet.

**TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK!**


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